Thursday, November 30, 2006

1) Hello there loyal readers! We're on our way shortly to Buffalo where we will just be ahead of yet another snow storm. We seem to spread the snow wherever we go. LOL

2) As far as last night. We were pleasantly surprised with the game. The new coach factor(as FAUXRUMORS2 mentioned earlier today) must be taken into account, but the Hawks looked pumped and ready to perform for Savard. We have always liked Savard. He fell under the radar behind Gretzky and Lemieux during the 80's, but he was one of the mot exciting players of his time

3) Fans seemed to be optimistic he would turn things around. We guess things have gotten so bad that that franchise can't go anywhere but up! We wish them well

4) On to Buffalo where we have a big day planned. A huge contingent of FAUXRUMORS fans/readers/contributors are expected to get together before tomorrow night's game. More on that later.

5) We hear John Leclaire has been waived by the Pens. Not surprising. It was surprising his contract wasn't bought out before the season. Clearly John is done. Only question remains does John realize it yet? He should simply retire gracefully

6) On another note the rumors about Brian Leetch and Jason Allison are heating up once again. For a few weeks we heard little, now we're told that one of both may be signed before the holidays. We will stay on this as/if this develops further.As always, keep it here for all the latest! Thanks to FAUXRUMORS2 for keeping our seat warm, and continuing this blog without missing a beat! Great job guys!

1) OK, we will be up front with our readers and tell them we were NOT advocates of this way of ending tie games before last season started, but as we have seen more of these we have come around to begrudgingly accept them as part of the game, and the excitement they do produce for the fans

2) Almost all agree that a tie usually wasn't a good way to have a game end. The NHL was really the only major North American sport that allowed large number of ties each year. The 5 minute OT reduced the number by about 25% or so, but still many games stayed deadlocked, thus the apparent need to decide games without further playing(television) time.

3) The problem we have, and many other hockey 'purists' have with the shootout, is that many games are no longer decided by true hockey. There are many factors and strategies that determine the winner of an NHL hockey game. Juggling lines. Quick shifts to compensate for tired legs. Icing calls leading to critical face-offs in an opponent's zone late in the game. Power-play combinations. Penalty-killing combinations, etc. A shoot out uses merely a minuscule part of what NHL hockey is all about.

4) There appears no correlation between a teams success in non shoot out games and shoot outs. Some very good teams have very poor shoot out records, and vise versa. It may not have occurred last season, but we can envision a time when team A will fail to make the playoffs because they had a shoddy shootout record. Eclipsed by Team B with a good shoot out record, even though team A had a better record when playing 'real hockey'.

5) As some have written, this would akin to baseball having a home run contest after a regulation tie. Football a field goal contest. Or basketball having a slam dunk or 3 point competition. All would be popular with fans, but they wouldn't be fair tests of the 'better team'.

6) so the question is: Which is more important: Integrity/fairness of the game or entertainment? We believe we have already been told what the NHL's answer is to this. For good or bad, the shoot out is likely here to stay.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

1) Sorry we didn't get to post about our trip to see the Blues in St. Louis last night. We all had a great time, and want to thank all the folks who turned out to greet us, and had a few adult beverages with us prior to the game.

2) The game itself wasn't exactly a barn burner with San Jose looking pretty sound/impressive in shutting down the Blues. They did have some good chances, especially early, but Toskala was up to the challenge.

3) The crowd size was a huge disappointment. We were in this building a few years ago and it was jam packed and very loud. If there were 6,000(announced 9,000)it was a lot. Kinda depressing to see the demise of this franchise. hopefully JD will turn it around soon

4) Speaking of depressing, we're in Chicago to see one of the original 6 teams play the Stars. From talking with some of our readers who are 'hawks fans, many or most are disillusioned with their once proud team. They do have some promising young players, but as of yet the corner has not been turned. Injuries have again ravaged the team. It appears another non-playoff year is in the offing. This will be our first trip to the new building. The old Chicago Stadium could never be duplicated and we don't expect the newer digs will. We also expect another small crowd like we had last night.

5) We are VERY excited to be shuffling off to Buffalo after tonight to see the high flying Sabres against their cross state rival rangers on Friday. The weather forecast could make this interesting as a snow storm may be brewing in the great lakes this weekend. Oh no, not another snow storm!! LOL

6) Nice job by FAUXRUMORS 2 on their story outlining the NHL's decrease in scoring and what can/will be done. It seems to have caused a nice discussion among some of our readers. Talk with all of you tomorrow!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

1) According to stats released recently from the NHL, scoring is down through the first 25% or so of the 2006-2007 season compared to last year. This turn of events has to be alarming to Mr. Bettman & co. as this was one of their priorities after the lock out. Instituting new rules to try to increase scoring:a) Allow 2 line passes b) Goalie wandering restrictions c) Smaller pads for tenders d) Calling all obstruction tightly e) Offside tag up

2) As many of us postulated last fall, these would only be temporary fixes. The best players in the world are that for good reason; they can adapt with time to most any superficial changes such as these. It was merely only a matter of time before that happened. Most of us didn't think it would be so fast. Players apparently have adapted to the New NHL.

3) In reality the increased scoring last year as a mirage anyway. Most of the scoring was from the increased number of PP's. NOT from the other measures employed. As players adjusted to the new officiating style, the number of PP's has steadily waned. So it should not be surprising that scoring in general would also decrease.

4) Now the big question: what does the NHL do next? They apparently feel increased scoring equates to more fan interest, so we believe that the league will have to come up with new ways (gimmicks) to do this. One of the options discussed and not adopted last time around was the increasing the size of the goal nets. If the trend continues, look for this option to gain momentum, and at the very least be employed in the AHL either later this year or next as a pilot to see if this does in fact affect scoring.

5) Other possibilities might be to do away with the rule that minor penalties end when a goal is scored, further curtailing goalie wandering, or even more radical, to go with a 4 on 4 like OT is done now, but all game long. The ladder suggestion would not be popular with the players as it would decrease the number of employed NHL-ers.

6) Fauxrumors feels the game did/does NOT need to be altered in such silly/radical ways to make NHL hockey exciting. First we will list some common sense options to improve the game, then we will list some Bettman-like silly options that could be used.

7) Common sense options:a) League contraction- OK, sorry folks/fans of some of the teams that need to be contracted, as some have won the Cup recently, but that doesn't mean those franchises need to remain: NJ, Carolina,TB, FLA, Phoenix. All could be removed tomorrow and their talent re-distributed among the remaining 25 teams. (We can see being even more draconian, but 5 would be a start)b) Eliminate the instigator rule/most fighting inhibitors- No we're not advocating a return to the 1975 Flyers days, but fans like to see a 1 on 1 battle. Also, and as important, we feel the recent increase in checking/stick injuries can be traced to the reduction in fighting. No longer are players in fear that they may have to pay for their 'indiscretions'.c) Allow goalies to wander/handle the puck all they want, BUT once they leave their crease treat them like any other skater. Can be body checked, etc. You'll see far less wandering without silly shapes painted on the ice.d) Penalties should run to completion- Before the great Habs teams of the 50's, a team could score an unlimited number of PPG's on a minor. They were so good that they changed the rules. Revert it back.

8) Bettman may consider these:a) Use multiple pucksb) Leave the injured on the icec) Vodka in goalie water bottles d) Instead of a shoot out, have (3) sets of players duke it out at center ice after regulation.e) Strobe lights periodically/arbitrarily used to confuse goalies

9) We're sure our readers can come up with their own 'common sense' as well as nutty rule changes. Feel free and add your own

Monday, November 27, 2006

1) Firstly, great job FAUXRUMORS 2 on the second annual Power rankings. Its an excellent read. Also good job getting the scoop on the other blogger. Not sure if you will have written about it before this is published, but we got quite a laugh over here!! LOL

2) We are VERY excited to be in 'Hockey Town' tonight. Our seats, as has been the case on most of the trip, are excellent. We're told we are in section 123, lucky Row 13! Definitely NOT the cheap seats. The Stars are in town so it should be a great match up of 2 of the West's better teams.

3) Anyway, hopefully we'll have a chance later today to detail our tail gating schedule, etc. Hope to see all the folks who have expressed an interest in meeting us! See all of ya out there!

1) Our loyal readers will all recognize the name of the blog alluded to above. He, the petulant and frequent contributor/responder has been caught in a lie

2) For the past couple of months he has accused this site of creating fictional bloggers who would respond to our blog. Ofcourse this is nonsense. However, we have learned over the years that folks will often accuse others of things that they themselves do regularly. This is a case in point of this very thing.

3) When FAUXRUMORS made a point that we do NOT accept anonymous bloggers, his site received far fewer responses. Then recently we're told (we don't frequent the site ourselves) the number of responders increased again. Usually with folks with no blogging experience. Then a reader alerted us this morning that in response to his latest posting(some inane report on penalties) the first responder was Hockeynutz himself!! Self congratulating his own post!! Apparently he forgot to 'change his name'. LOL LOL

4) We find this whole episode quite amusing. We're sure he will either erase his mistake, try to say it wasn't him(easily checked), or some other excuse. He should be red faced when he realizes his error! This should once and for all put to bed that He IS the fraud here. Liars are usually caught eventually. His time has come! LOL

1) Welcome to the highly anticipated second installment of FAUXRUMORS Power rankings. We will rank each team from 1-30 with a brief sentence/paragraph as to why they are where they are using record, strength of schedule, and other 'intangibles': Last weeks rank in parentheses1 BUFFALO SABRES(1) - Best skating team in NHL. Continuing their great start. Anything less than a finals appearence would be a disapointment in Buffalo2 ANAHEIM DUCKS(2) - The best of the West, BUT have played few road games so far. lets see them play this well on the road, then we'll be true believers3 SAN JOSE SHARKS (6) - Coming on strong. Balanced attack has Sharks looking tough4 NASHVILLE PREDATORS (13) - These Preds are as dangerous on road as home. Easy sched helps too5 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (14)- Raycroft playing well. Sundin-less Leafs played well. Will his return thow off chemistry?6 - DETROIT RED WINGS (12) Geezers playing well. Soft schedule like Preds, helping too7 - ATLANTA THRASHERS (3) Have come down a notch, but Hossa-Kolvalchuk combo deadly. If they played the Caps 80 times would be undefeated8 MONTREAL CANADIENS-(15) Offensive d-man/good goaltending making difference. Niinimaa trade bait?9 CAROLINA HURRICANES (20)- Champs finally playing like it. Brind'amour found fountain of youth. Should be next messier award winner!10 EDMONTON OILERS (12)- Playing much more like last spring behind Roloson.11 DALLAS STARS (5) - Not as a torrid a pace, but still playing well down in Big D.12 -TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING (22) Finally coming on after slow start. Vote of Confidence fo Tortorella help?13 -NEW YORK ISLANDERS (25) Nolan has the Isles on war path. Yashin injury could hurt14 -NEW YORK RANGERS (11) Lundqvist seems to be playing more like last season. Staying home more?15 -MINNESOTA WILD (4) Injuries slowing the Wild considerably.16 NEW JERSEY DEVILS (10) - Road blues keeping them down,17 CALGARY FLAMES (23)- Another team that looks lost on the road.18 OTTAWA SENATORS (16)- A bit better lately, but Not playing like a contender19 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS (7) Injuries, youth putting Pens where most anticipated20 - VANCOUVER CANUCKS (9) Luongo can only carry team so far. Miss Bertuzzi? Nah.21 COLORADO AVALANCHE (21)- Avs hanging in there22 BOSTON BRUINS (26) - Finally turning the corner? Thomas playing well23 -LOS ANGELES KINGS (19) Dismal road record dooming their slim playoff aspirations!24 WASHINGTON CAPITALS (24) - Is this the beginning of the anticipated drop off?25 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (30) Improvement to a .500 team, but NOT a playoff team26 FLORIDA PANTHERS(18) As expected these cats are declawed and easy prey27 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS (28) - Still suck, but teams below them sucking more28 - ST. LOUIS BLUES (27) Not unexpected record. Rebuilding=sucking usually.29 PHOENIX COYOTES (29) - The Great One thanking Columbus for being worse. Time to leave Wayne!30 COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (17) After promising start, free falling. Can Hitch turn it around? Only if McClean fires himself too!

1) Just some whispers we';re hearing this early morning in Detroit.2) We're looking forward to reading FAUXRUMORS2 next installment of their power rankings. we're told it should be out sometime later this morning.3) We're hearing that things remain dicey in the Ranger locker room with the Jagr and Shanahan factions apparently becoming more polarized. More on this as it develops.4) Also from the NY area, we're told that the Isles have been shopping their high priced free agent defenseman, Alex Zhitnik. Evidently, Ted Nolan is not too keen on the back liners tendency to take bad penalties. While Zhitnik's work ethic has never been a question, his decisions have been poor.5) We're told that a trade is NOT imminent, as his salary(3.5 mil, with another year left) will make him a tough sell, but Wang has already given his blessing for Snow to get whatever he can. Possible destinations include the Oilers, as well as the Flyers, who are in desperate need of anyone who can play defense. As always, keep it here for the latest!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

1) Just a quick note to remind our readers that our second edition of our Power rankings will be released Monday 11/27. We received rave reviews from the inaugural posting.

2) That is the same day that FAUXRUMORS will be resuming their tour of the NHL. they are set to be in the Motor City to see the surging Red Wings. Look for that.

3) FAUXRUMORS also tells us that during the holiday (Thanks Giving) in the U.S. we will be curtailing our coverage briefly, unless a significant story should break, or about to break according to our sources.As always keep it here for the latest

Truth and Rumors?1) Those two things usually don't always together, especially these days! Since the start of the season we have read about/heard any number of 'hot rumors' of a big deal about to go down. With the exception of some minor deals, no 'block busters' have occurred. Why?

2) The answer is VERY simple. Its the salary cap, stupid. About 2/3 of the teams in the league currently are so close to the cap max that they can do little in the way of major player move. One source who is in management told FAUXRUMORS last night that its almost impossible to move a big contract(he said anything more than 2 mil/year) to another team before at least two thirds or three quarters of it has already been paid. Meaning don't expect huge deals before the trade deadline.

3) Which leads us to ask, why so many rumors if this is true? Another easy answer, Rumors sell!! Not only the rumor bloggers who charge for 'insider info', but even more pervasive and influential, the print and electronic media. Which reap huge ratings when a tasty rumor is circulated. Some 'journalists' even admit to doing this. With the cap in essence strangulating most possible deals, the writers and broadcasters have been left with much less in factual rumors, and have resorted to creating them.

4) However, although almost everyone already knows this is the case, it will likely continue. One prominent hockey writer who we called, but didn't want his name used, said his editor expects him to 'suggest' at least one possible deal each week when he writes his column. Its been shown that 'folks eat that crap up. So we give them what they want'.

5) For every Thornton deal, there have been literally hundreds of proposed(rumored) deals written about/mentioned during broadcasts. Since it sells don't expect this to change. As a non profit entity FAUXRUMORS does NOT need to create a rumor d'jour, but will only continue to convey credible information from impeccable sources as they are recieved.As always keep it here for the latest

Monday, November 20, 2006

1) ) The recent awarding of the silly 'Messier Leadership Award' to Brenden Shanahan has apparently made the simmering feud between Jagr and the European contingent on the Rangers, and Shanny and the North Americans, a bit more out in the open.2) Last season,despite not being the official captain, there was little doubt who the leader was. JJ was the defacto captain both on and off the ice. Being that there was no North American with any significant profile, and the line up was dominated by Czechs/Europeans, there was little apparent problem.3) With the inking of Brendan Shanahan, along with Cullen and Ward the Rangers changed the make up of their team to an apparent small degree, but with the addition of Shanahan, they also added someone who was used to/comfortable being a leader.4) Our sources close to the team tells FAUXRUMORS that there was almost instant resentment from Jagr. Players(even many Euros) naturally gravitated towards the affable former Red Wing. The Ranger brass sensing this decided to try to assuage their cranky Czech by making him the captain. Were told this didn't do the trick.5) Though the two seem to have decent on ice chemistry; working well on the PP unit together, we're told that they almost never converse in the locker room, and never away from the rink. There was almost an uneasy feeling among many teammates. Then last week when the inane award was given to Shanahan, despite JJ leading the league in points. Jagr was enraged. Not directly to Brendan, or management, but one of our sources who speaks Czech said he over heard JJ say some very unflattering things about his fellow 600 goal club team mate.6) How this will all play out remains to be seen. Its any one's guess if this is partly responsible for the slower start to the Ranger's season. What is likely is that Jagr will be more likely to threaten retirement after this season if Shanahan(on a one year deal) is brought back next season As always we will stay on top of this an all other developments as they occur

Saturday, November 18, 2006

1) First off, had a great time with everyone last evening at Verizon center in D.C.. The pregame at Ruby's was a blast! Being so close(across the street) from the arena the place fills up with hockey fans a good 2 hours before the puck is dropped. We want to thank all who joined us for our now traditional, pregame tail gating.2) The game itself started a bit slowly, but improved(from a Cane's stand point) from there. Brind'amour seems to have found the fountain of youth as he was flying out there. Along with Whitney and Cole, they seemed to almost be toying with their Cap counter parts at times. It appears after a slow start that the Cup champs are back!3) Another disappointing crowd. Couldn't have been more than 10K there. After seeing crowds that were near or at capacity out west and in Canada the last week or so in the SouthEast was really a bummer. Although that division possesses the last 2 champs, and some of the best young talent in the league, most teams are struggling at the turnstiles. Sad state of affairs that we hope turns around, and soon!4) On another note, during yesterday's tailgating, we were discussing the current state of affairs of this site with respect to 'moderation' and the reasons for such. There was total agreement of everyone that the person for whom this was aimed at went WAY over the top, but many of you folks preferred if we opened things back up.5) They, almost to a man,(and woman) said they usually saw those offensive posts as comic relief, but understood why we will still continue to eliminate any posts that are spam oriented. (contain a reference to a web site) Jerry Larabee and his wife Eunice, were quite persuasive on that issue. LOL Anyway, as this site was started for all of YOU folks out there, we will bend to your wishes.

Friday, November 17, 2006

1) Firstly, had a wonderful time in Miami yesterday. Way too short! Could get used to being there from November to March! Anyway the game for the home fans was excellent. Attendance was so-so, but those that were there seemed to have a great time

2) Montreal came out well. Actually carried the play most of the first period. Opposite of Wednesday night where they were outplayed and still led after one. This time it was reversed. In the 2nd and third they started to look like they were a bit tired, and the Panthers pelted and chased David Aebischer in favor of Huet. Who later gave up the hat-trick goal to Ollie Jokinen. A game the Habs will probably want to forget about, and the Panthers will want to try to build upon

3) Tonight we're excited to be in D.C. to see the Cup champs play the up-start Capitals. We saw quite a bit of them during our west coast trip so we're quite familiar with them. Kolzig has looked like he did in his Vezina trophy winning days of 7-8 years ago. Remmber we'll be across the street at Ruby Tuesday's prior to tonight's contest. Looking forward to seeing all of you there, as well as our blog contributor, Antz.

4) Blog Note: Moderation will continue for the time being, but we hope to have that issue rectified soon. Talk/see with all of ya soon!

Thursday, November 16, 2006

1) Not to rub it in, but we wanted to mention that we are now in beautiful Miami at The Sofitel Miami Hotel. Absolutly amazing. Its too bad we're only going to be spending one day/night here. (On that note we're going to be in D.C tomorrow to see the Ovechkins play Carolina. we're set on meeting up at the Ruby Tuesdays across from Verizon center at about 5 for our pregame tail gating)

2)For those planning on attending and looking to say Hi, we'll be in SEC: 118 ROW: 15. Looking forward to seeing everyone in a little while today, and in D.C. tomorrow!

1) Firstly, had a great time in Tampa Bay last afternoon/evening. The pregame tailgating with some of the folks there was a nice time for all. A huge thanks to Gary G. and Steven D. for the food! Those arapas were very good!

2) As for the game, the Habs played a very sound road game with Huet keeping Montreal in the game when TB came out flying to start. The PP for the Canadiens loooked pretty good. We know many of their fans don't like Souray, but his stats can't be argued with. If they really are intent on trading him, they probably could get something decent back. The question would be, if they did trade him, how much would the PP unit suffer?

3) Today we're following Montreal to Miami to see the Panthers. Despite losing their last home game to the caps, the cats are a pretty difficult opponent to beat in their 'den'. We will probably have more later today. As always, keep it here for the latest

1) As our loyal readers already know, we here at FAUXRUMORS have been way out in front of most of the major stories/trades since the summer. One of the stories where we have been scooping all other media outlets concerns the NHL's newest superstar, Evgeni Malkin.

3) With the anticipated positive ruling in court yesterday, denying Malkin's spurned former team: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=184456&hubname=nhl we wanted to update our readers on some of the other issues that we have discussed here about Malkin. Firstly, we confirmed with a VERY reliable source that indeed Malkin and his agent attempted to force a trade before reporting to Pens training camp. For the reason we outlined back then; Malkin did NOT want to play in the shadow of Sidney Crosby.

4) We're told another Eastern Conference team had a deal on the table, but with all the uncertainty/new management in the Pen's organization it quickly fell through and Malkin was told that if he wanted to play NHL hockey this season that it would only be for Pittsburgh

5) With his remarkable start all the talk of trade/discontent has evaporated. Or has it? Our source tells us that the Pens will/are still considering trading Malkin. Not in the short term, but at any point from the trade deadline(if they are out of the playoff picture) through next summer.

6) Why? Simple, finances. In the New NHL a team simply can not afford retain 2 or more super stars and hope to compete (Ask Tampa Bay). In the case of Pittsburgh they may have as many as 4 players that could/may command the max salary when they are eligible (Fleury, Malkin, Crosby, Staal)

7) Therefore the Pens we're told will send out feelers later this season to see what might be out there. A block buster of this magnitude would probably be consummated around draft day. Certainly a player of Malkin's pedigree could fetch the Pens a nice hawl of players to compliment their already fine stable of young talent. We will stay on top of this as the season progresses.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

1) Great to be back where there is sun shine and warmth! Well it will be short lived as we will be here in Tampa tonight to see Pinko's Habs, then on to Miami tomorrow for the Panthers, then its right back up to the Verizon Center for Friday night's match up between the Ovechkins and the Cup champs.

2) Our seats tonight in the St. Pete Times Forum are gong to be awesome. For those planning on attending, we'll be in section 115 Row E. Right in the middle of the ice and 5 rows from the ice it seems. Will let you all know tomorrow how it all goes.

3) Those of you who have contacted us on our private line, we plan on meeting about 4:30 or so to do our tailgating. We're told that Gary will be bringing in some sausages and hot dogs for everyone. Steven will be making something he calls arapas, a fried corn meal patty that we're told are sinfully delish. Anyway we will also stay on top of all the latest rumors floating around the league this Wednesday afternoon.

1) Its sad, but necessary to report that some of the more vocal minority have begun to make posts using our FAUXRUMORS names. In the past we have never removed posts unless:a) They were spamb) Repeatsc) Impostors here to disrupt the normal discussion of the subject matter

2) We will continue to do this, as well as not allow anonymous posts but will NOT turn to moderating each and every post. We have found that blogs that 'moderate'/censor posts are usually afraid to have contrary opinions. We at FAUXRUMORS are fine with other opinions, but won't allow a very minuscule minority to disrupt the flow of this, the fastest growing hockey rumors blog on the net today!Apologies to the 99.99% of our readers to whom this post does not pertain

2) We find this amazing since: a) Average player salaries are right where they were PRIOR to the work stoppageb) Ticket prices(the life blood of revenue) are about the same or even a bit less in some placesc) TV revenue has decreased to a small degree

3) What did we miss here?? Gary Bettman et. al. have a printing press for money, or more likely was the whole lockout nonsense just a way to rid themselves once and for all of Bob Goodenow?

1) Below is a link to a post we made a couple of weeks ago. You can skip over the first part(other than we are correct so far on the predictions) However, that's not the reason for this thread. As our blog has grown, and added more new readers, we are continuously asked why we don't respond/defend ourselves against attacks: Below was a response we wrote to answer these questions http://fauxrumors.blogspot.com/2006/11/california-dreaming.html#links

2) We knew going in that as we grew in popularity that cranks, liars, cheats, and others who liked to hear(read)themselves would pop in from time to time. We vowed back then, and will continue to, not respond in-kind. Just to set the record strait when/if distorted, then let the chips fall where they do.

3) As we mention in that link/thread from 11/1, judging from reader response, most of you 'get it'. Also Thanks a Bunch for the MANY notes of support we have, and continue to receive!!

4) Post Script: We're heading out in a little while on our way to begin Leg II of our odyssey across the NHL. We're in Raleigh tonight to take in the tilt between the Hurricane and Sabres. We are VERY excited that we decided to go to Carolina for this one. Should be an awesome game. We should be able to post more when we arrive later this afternoon. See Y'all there!

1) What a GREAT time in Carolina yesterday! The game aside, the pre-game fun was awesome! Met some really super nice folks before the game. Most are regular FAUXRUMORS readers. We can't get over how many people love our site and enjoy meeting with us! Thank you all!! We can't acknowledge all, but we want to thank Jim and Mary Kuck for the delish pastries. Also we want to thank Jeff Rothenburg for bringing us all those cold brews.

2) As for the facility and game. Very nice arena. Like some of the other newer arenas we visited out west it was first class. Great amenities and the arena food excellent. Our seats were very good. The game was also very exciting. Well, unless you were a Hurricane fan. Buffalo's speed continues to impress. If they stay healthy, we don't see why they won't be the Conference champs.

3) We are on our way to the sun shine state for a couple of dates down there before heading back north to D.C. Friday. Looking forward to meeting up with all the fine folks in those locals.

1) OK, the merits of using Messier aside, where/when/why did this come by? A monthly leadership award?? That has to be one of the more silly reasons for an award we have heard in recent years. The MVP is difficult enough to assess, but to now have to try to figure out what the nebulous term' leadership' means is dam impossible to quantify/qualify.

2) As for making it the Messier Award. We have no problem with that per se, but is he the best leader of all time? He did captain 2 different teams to Cups, but is that the reason? He does have his detractors (Ask a Canuck fan how they feel of his leadership). I'd bet we could easily come up with a list of very deserving folks who the award could have been named after

3) Can a goalie ever win it? You might have some fans of Marty Brodeur or Ollie Kolzig tell you that they are the defacto 'captains' of their respective teams. Also how will it be measured exactly? Maybe getting a Gordie Howe hatrick( goal, assist, fight) might automatically make one the winner? LOL We look forward to seeing who the powers that be deem is the 'best leader'.

2) We did some calling to our NY sources to see if this has changed. What we're told is that not only did King Henrik rebuff management's attempts to reign in his bachelor lifestyle, but he actually said that what he does in his free time ' Is my business'. As was mentioned then, Lundqvist has NOT been spotted the night before a game, but when seen, its usually well into the early a.m.

3) This really places the Rangers in a predicament. They can't threaten Lundqvist with demotion or less playing time, as the option of playing Weekes more isn't all that palatable. As was witnessed last week when they started the back up on consecutive nights, it apparently didn't bother Henrik in the least. Most hockey insiders agree, last year's Ranger record was in large part a product of Lundqvist carrying the team. If he plays mediocre, or at the very least not at the top of his game, then the Rangers become a .500 team.

4) No word what the Rangers next option will be. We're told that a trade of Weeks for another back up is being contemplated, but the asking price of Petr Prucha is a bit steep. Stay tuned as this develops!

Friday, November 10, 2006

1) OK, now that we got your attention, lets talk about why we feel this way. We're alluding to today's comments by the former great defensemen about the latest head injury sustained by Detroit's Jason Williams from a vicious (But clean) check by Edmonton's Raffi Torres.

2) Apparently Orr feels that ANY shots to the heads ANYTIME should be penalized. Says Orr: " if someone puts his shoulder into a player's face, if he puts anything -- an arm, an elbow, a glove -- I think that player should get a penalty." OK, lets forget for a moment that this comes in the wake of a CLEAN check, but if that 'rule' was to become NHL law, imagine the consequences

3) Zedeno Chara would no longer be able to check ANYONE! LOL Seriously, he wouldn't. Any player he hit who was 6+ inches shorter(almost everyone) than he would potentially be drawing a call when hit by the Big Z. A player puts his head down and he can't be touched??? Nonsense!

4) More importantly, it would be yet another way of legislating out of the game what we the paying fans want to see. ( No, not injuries) We want hitting and fast paced action. Now most of us also like a scrap every now and then, but we won't discuss this NHL mistake right now.

5) What would be next start using Nerf pucks and sticks? After all a slap shot going 100 mph can kill someone!

1) Sources close to the Philly situation told FAUXRUMORS last night that Flyers owner Ed Snider was furious with their latest non-performance(loss) against the Islanders last night. Not only did they lose, but appeared to be totally uninspired through out most of the contest. Fans were booing the team almost the whole game.

2) We're told that Holmgren has been given the green light to make a deal, if for no other reason than "to shake these assholes up". Though no concrete names were mentioned, we're told not to be surprised to see ANYONE dealt over the upcoming days/weeks in Philly. Even Captain Forsberg could be had for the right price.

3) As for the Desert Dogs, we're being told that a player personnel move is also likely, but in addition the losing is starting to really wear on head coach, Wayne Gretzky. Our people in Phoenix tell us that it won't be too much longer before Gretzky decides that he's had enough and 'moves upstairs'. Evidently the players are even at this early stage, tuning The Great One out. Never a good sign for a coach.As always we at FAUXRUMORS will stay on top of these and any other potential developments!

1) We found the Eklund admission, which really was more of a weak explanation, that he was correct about 5% of the time, very amusing.2) It appears that the paying customers are getting restless over at 'HockeyBuzz', and they are letting the rumor-whore know it! These are his own words: "most of what I write will NEVER happen....Based on what I have learned, only 5%." http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=35573) OK, so if he admits to being WRONG 95% of the time, one can only guess that his track record is even worse than that! We have read in some articles that have discussed Eklund that his actual accuracy is less than 1%!! As we mentioned early on with our blog, we could have our dog randomly crap on a list of NHL players and be as acurate!4) Whats worse for those poor schlubs who regularly read his tripe, is they are Paying for it!! LOL LOL Hey great for Eklund that he can make money by fooling the masses, but we at FAUXRUMORS we continue to monitor his track record, and will be happy to compare our accuracy rate with that of rumor-whores like Eklund!As always this is a free site, and will stay that way!

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

1) We are happy to pronounce the latest leg of the FAUXRUMORS 30 NHL cities Before 07 Tour a complete success!! We had another awesome time in Toronto yesterday. Took a tour of the city which of course had to include the Hockey Hall of Fame. Our favourite part was the collectors corner with memorabilia through the years.

2) Apologies to those who got their shorts in a bunch when we called Toronto the 'Hockey Mecca'. While we understand that the Leafs haven't won in 40 years, the shear number of rabid fans here, coupled with the location of the HOF, simply makes this hockey's epicenter in our opinion.

3) Not that it would ever happen, but we are fairly certain that if not one, but 2 other NHL franchises would relocate (or expand) to the Toronto metro area, All 3 would be viable and financially successful. Don't hold your breathe that this will happen anytime soon. Getting a team in Hamilton alone has been blocked successfully by the Leafs for over 20 years

4) Anyway, we want to thank all of the many fans who were gracious to us through out our travels the past 2 weeks. The next leg of the tour will kick off next week, but with MUCH less travel as we stay in the Eastern time zone. Stay tuned for details.

Monday, November 6, 2006

1) As we wrote about in early October; that it would take GM's about a month or so to assess their rosters before contemplating a deal. Well, that time has expired and some teams are clearly NOT as good as they/many thought they would be.2) Who are those underachieving teams? Well in the East Philly and Boston are the most obvious choices, but also the Senators and Lightning, though early, couldn't have believed that they would be in the bottom 5 after a dozen games. In the West, Calgary continues to have trouble scoring. Now if this were only a recent problem we wouldn't think its time to panic, BUT this is now a season+, so its officially time to panic in Calgary! Ofcourse Phoenix is also a leading candidate to make a deal with their dreadful start3) There are also plenty of other 'in between teams', that are doing OK, but have a player or 2 that they would move if given the right deal. There have been plenty of published rumors in recent days. It appears almost every player north of the border has been rumored to be 'on the block'. We won't further muddy the waters by arbitrarily throw out a bunch of names.4) However we are being told that Calgary is definitely looking to make a change. The problem is that what they are offering back isn't going to get it done. Same with Philly. Even a Forsberg won't fetch the Flyers as much as they think. For one he's an UFA after this year and could easily retire. Secondly, his salary, 5.75 mil won't be easy for most teams to fit into their caps. So unless he were to be dealt late in the season, or for a comparable salary, its unlikely Peter will be going anywhere soon.As always keep it here for ONLY credible rumors from the most reliable sources!

1) As we await a new post from FAUXRUMORS, we at FAUXRUMORS 2 want to discuss some rumors we have heard today and haven't yet discussed with our other bloggers on the site.

2) We're told that the rumor that Daniel Alfredsson will be traded at some point soon is a bunch of crap. Although discussions HAVE taken place, a well placed source tells FAUXRUMORS 2 that the closest that any of those discussions came was with the NY Islanders who offered Mike York and Trent Hunter. However, it never materialized for a variety of reasons

3) Another somewhat less of a sexy rumor surrounds the Flyers former bench coach, Ken Hitchcock. Contrary to all the talk of a Phoenix connection, we're told that secret negotiations have begun with another Western Conference team, the Blue Jackets. Apparently Jackets GM McClean isn't pleased with the job Gerard Gallant is doing, and is seriously considering a change in leadership.

4) The hitch(no pun) is whether Flyers owner Ed Snyder will allow the former coach, still under contract to bolt to the mid west. Our source says its very likely, but may take a few weeks, and an interim coach may take over if Gallant is fired before Hitchcock is released from his Philly obligation

5) No other credible rumors are currently circulating. certainly if we come across any, you, our loyal readers will be first to know! Keep it here for the latest!

1) Sorry for the brief resbit from posting here. Good article from FAUXRUMORS2 over the weekend on possible locker room discontent in NY. More on that possibly later today.

2) Anyway, had a great 2 weeks in Western Canada and the West coast. Met some great people who we believe will stay as friends, long term. A special word of thanks to the Smiths. Tubby and Missy were a huge help with our tale gating in Phoenix Saturday. Great job folks!

3) Now on to one of the stops we were looking forward to most, Toronto. With all due respect to Montreal, we believe Toronto to be the 'Hockey Mecca', and as such are very excited to be here today! The tickets we are told weren't too easy to come by. As well as being a bit pricey. Basically they are a season ticket holder who resold their seats for us. However they are in section 107, and we are told they are excellent!

4) Anyway, we should be posting more later today. Lots of trade rumor activity that we or FAUXRUMORS 2 may be reprting on. Stay tuned as always!

Saturday, November 4, 2006

Locker Room Discontent?1) After scanning through the rumor's whore latest list on non-rumor-rumors. One of his blurbs that caught our eyes was the mention of locker room problems in N.Y, with Shanahan and Jagr. We aren't surprised at the rift as Jagr isn't really the leader type, but was the defacto captain last year with the Blue Shirts Czech-dominant line up, and thus was given the C this year.

2) Shanahan the leader of the players who undermined former NHLPA honcho, Bob Goodenow, is a strong personality, but can alienate many. Many still hold a grudge over his behind the back maneuvers with lock out negotiations, so its no surprise that he isn't loved by all his team mates in NY

3) Add to this the Weekes distractions, that have been mentioned in the other blog, The Ludqvist partying issues that we discussed last month, and you have the makings of a potential mess in Ranger-land. Ofcourse nothing solves locker room problems like winning, and if the Rangers should begin to regain their 2005-2006 regular season form again, these 'problems' will be forgotten

4) The FAUXRUMORS family of blogs will as always stay on top of all these issues, and report anything we hear to you as soon as we hear it!

Friday, November 3, 2006

1) After a crazy and all too quick visit to the Bay area/Silicon valley yesterday, its back to tinsel town to see the Ducks tonight. We'll get to see the Ducks take on the Coyotes, then as the schedule would have it, w will be following Gretzky's sextet back to the desert to see them play the Kings tomorrow night before we finally head back to the Eastern time zone for a Monday date in Toronto!

2) We will be heading back on the road shortly. For those who have been e-mailing us with 'where will you be'? Our seats tonight in the Pond are in Section 201, Row R, or behind the goal as we've been told. Looking forward to seeing the Norris twins spin their magic. The Ducks were good last year, and appear to be that much better now with Pronger added and Giguere playing at top form again

Thursday, November 2, 2006

1) We have arrived in Silicon valley. We're all geared up for tonight's match up between the sharks and the NY Rangers. The Rangers should be a bit tired playing their 3rd in 4 nights, and needing OT to win last night

3) Those of you who we've been in contact who want to tail gate, we plan on being in the arena parking lot at 5:00. You have our special cell phone number to find our location, but shouldn't be difficult for everyone else as our rental car, a 2006 Corvette in 'Victory red' is hard not to notice, but maybe it will be in this neck of the woods. LOL Look forward to seeing every one later tonight. Now, a short nap! LOL

1) This will have to be a shorty. Totally exhausted after last night's exciting OT Penguins victory at the Staple Center. The place is phenomenal, and our seats were excellent.

2) Just a quickie hello and thanks to Jerry and Jackie Mays for supplying us with quite a bit of good tasting vitals for the tail gate, and for all of those who came by to say their hellos. It may not have been our biggest turn out of the trip so far, but everyone was as friendly as anywhere!

3) In a short couple of hours we will again be on the road again. This time by rental car to San Jose. A quirk in our schedule will have us there tonight an back in the LA area to see the Ducks Friday. We would have preferred to spend more time in the Bay area, but perhaps next year.

4) We will try to make another post later today to discuss tonight. Traffic permitting! See all of you soon!!

1) Sitting in our plush LA Hotel we've made some inquiries into some of the rumors we've been hearing the last few days.2) Lots of crazy rumors emanating from Canada, as always. Now we're reading that the sens are looking to trade Alfredsson. To LA of all places! Also, and naturally Calgary AND Ottawa are supposedly talking trade. OK, as the voice of reason, this is what we're being told/hearing from sources close to all those teams is that nothing is imminent! So relax folks, we are told not to expect much of anything before Turkey day at the earliest!3) Now about some of our readers have asked why we don't defend ourselves from some of the more scurrilous accusations. The answer is that we feel that we do. Usually our 'Attack Dog', if you want to call them that is FAUXRUMORS 2, but we have discussed with them that we don't want to get involved in a pissing contest with a disgruntled or mentally challenged reader.4) We feel its best to just make our case, spell it out, and allow our readers to decide. Judging from the responses we have been getting, most understand that there is a very minuscule, but local minority who feel a need to be contradictory, lie to make a point, or even be down right nasty. If a fellow reader wants to respond, that's fine, but as a general rule we will not get involved in such activity.5) This is one reason we don't allow anonymous posts. Anyone is free to say what they want(outside of advertising or repeats) as long as they identify themselves for fellow readers.Anyway, enough of this, lets get back to hockey!

1) Hello all, FAUXRUMORS the world travelers here once again! LOL Today we're in Southern California. Very excited about tonight's match up. Going to see the Pens and Sidney Crosby along with rookie sensations Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal.

2) Our very capable travel agent extraordinaire was able to get us some pretty decent tickets tonight. If you're in town and planning on attending, look for us in Section 110, row 20! The usual FAUXRUMORS crew should be on hand! E-mail us(fauxrumors@yahoo.com) if you want to join us for our ritual pre game tail gating this afternoon/eve.

3) We are hearing a lot of static out there with the chatter increasing as we discussed in Calgary a few days ago. As we always try to do we will only reveal what we feel are CREDIBLE rumors from usually reliable sources. As we always say: We have NO paying customers, so we have no need to create a rumor to satisfy/mollify people's appetite for news.